When you wish upon a star
by story-teller666
Summary: Kaida hasn't known a world outside the prison in which she has been kept since the age of 2. Now nature seems to have taken a liking to the girl with the golden eyes, setting her free to explore the world. What will she do with this new found freedom?
1. Chapter 1

Hey. This is my first story...so hope you guys like it. I've got some more that are in working progress, but this seemed to be the best to publish...so, yeah. Also it would be awesome if you guys gave me ideas on where to take the story. I've got something in mind, but they seem too...cliche. All ideas are welcome. Also, to people who might want to keep reading, the updates may not be as frequent as you would like them to be. I'm doing year 12, and I've got assignments, exams and homework almost crushing me. So, sorry about that.

**Story-teller666:** I'm sooooo bored...

**Naruto:** I know...where's teme when you need entertainment?

**Sasuke:** *walks into view, and notices Naruto's lit eyes* I...uh...I just remembered something *turns to flee*

**Story-teller666:** OH NO YOU DON'T! *arm stretches out and pulls the Uchiha back into frame* LET THE TORTURE BEGIN!

**Naruto:** YES! *rubs his hands together and cackles*

**Sakura:** *does slow-mo running* DON'T WORRY SASUKE KUN...I'LL SAVE YOU. *trips and lands flat on her face* OW!

**Sasuke:** ...I'm surrounded by idiots...

**Story-teller666: **MWAHAHAHAHAHA...

**Lee:** ON WITH THE STORY...WITH THE POWER OF YOUTH

**The others:**...When the hell did you get here?

**Lee:** *mopes in a corner*

**Story-teller666:**...O...k... *clears throat*. I don't own Naruto, but I do own Kaida (my character).

_When you wish upon a star_

_It makes no difference who you are_

The soft song drifted to silence as tears started to drip from golden eyes. The hunched figure sniffled, trying to stifle the sounds of her crying. Closing her eyes in exhaustion, the girl leaned her head on her knees, as she hugged her legs to her chest. Rolling up tightly, as though she was protecting herself from the dark damp walls, Kaida silently yearned for her wishing star.

**Chapter 1**

Uzumaki Naruto only had one thought in his head as he frantically leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The same thought ran in a loop behind the pair of cerulean eyes, and the repetition only made the blonde increase his frenzied run.

"Sakura chan is going- ACK!" he yelled seconds before hitting the road on his head. Passers by looked at the floored boy, some with concern, before sniggering at the indignant expression on his face. Giving his head a shake, Naruto moaned as he rubbed the rapidly growing lump amongst the blonde spikes.

"Ow…that hurt" he sat there glaring at the roofs for moments, before remembering the reason for his hysterical dash.

"SHIT!" was the last word the villagers heard as the still boy became an orange blur.

Haruno Sakura sighed for the umpteenth time as she glanced at the stoic Uchiha Sasuke. Her hand moved unconsciously to her pink shoulder length locks. Biting her lower lip, the girl twirled and wound her cherry coloured tresses around her finger. She gazed dreamily down at the water, leaning on the railing of the bridge. Her emerald eyes were vacant as her lips curled upwards into a smile.

"I'M SORRY, SAKURA CHAN!" the yell almost pushed Sakura over the railing. Scowling she turned to smack the recuperating Naruto. Stalking towards the panting boy, Sakura threateningly cracked her knuckles.

"Naruto…" her voice trailed off, the threat clearly audible in her tone.

The shorter boy's gulp of fear was clearly heard. "N-n-nani?" he flinched at the towering figure in front of him.

"BAKA!" Sakura's blow fell directly on the lump on Naruto's head, forcing her teammate to land flat on his face for the second time within the space of half an hour.

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wooden railing. His onyx eyes were the only parts of him that moved, watching the entertainment provided by his two teammates. Struggling against the laugh that teetered in his mouth, the usually impassive boy allowed a small smirk to appear on his lips. Resisting the urge to shake his head the other boy's idiotism, and replacing his seemingly effortless blank expression, Sasuke closed his eyes.

Breathing deeply through his nose, he could feel the tight muscles in his back and shoulders relax. A few more breaths and Sasuke once again the master of his emotions.

Naruto winced as he fingered the speedily rising bump on his skull.

"Ow, Sakura chan" he said, trying to keep all trace of a whine out of his tone. When he opened his mouth to add more to his complaint, the said girl gave a look that quelled the words which were about to spill out.

Settling for a pout, Naruto turned his attention to his second teammate and rival. Glowering at the aloof air around the shadowy boy, the boisterous blonde stomped over to Sasuke, clearly intent on picking a fight.

Firmly planting himself in front of 'the emo bastard', Naruto placed his hands on his hips and narrowed brightly coloured eyes at the unchanged posture of his adversary. After a few seconds, during which it was clear that Sasuke was ignoring the bundle of energy standing close by, the blonde changed tactics.

Taking two steps back, Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"OI! SASUKE TEME" the finger didn't waver as cold dark eyes opened to stare at him "I'M SO GONNA KICK YOUR ASS TODAY."

Naruto crossed his arms, his confident grin scrunching the whisker marks together on his cheeks. Twitching slightly at the lack of reaction, the grin turned to a scowl.

"Oi…are you lis-" the angry question was cut short by a familiar puff of smoke.

"Yo".

Naruto's attention instantly changed from the nonchalant boy to his sheepish team leader and sensei.

"YOU'RE LATE!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Story-teller666:** I'M BACK...didja miss me? *hopeful eyes*

**Sasuke:** Nope

**Naruto:**...um...no...?

**Sakura: **Nah

**Lee:**...*is thinking so hard his eyebrows are mushed together*

**Story-teller666:** *sulks* FINE...I'll just go and sit in my corner then *starts shredding paper - like Temaki from Ouran High*

**Sasuke:** Ignore her...*faces the audience* Story-teller666 doesn't own Naruto...just get on with the damn story

**Lee:** *still in deep thought*

**Chapter 2**

Kaida lowered her eyes, fear helping her focus on the cold tiles under her poorly shielded feet. The cold air made her body tremble, and she clasped her hands together in an attempt to stop them shaking.

A sudden shift in shadows made her flinch. Reflexively, she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. When no blow was felt, the cringing girl hesitantly opened her golden orbs, fright evident in them.

"Look at me" a voice ordered. Although the command was said gently, most of the inhabitants of the room repressed a shudder at the uncaring coldness of the tone.

Understanding that the order was issued to her, Kaida raised her eyes to meet the frosty gaze of her torturer. Fighting the urge to run, she bit her lip in terror as he smiled icily at her. Flinching as he stroked her cheek with a fingertip, the intimidated girl squeezed her hands together, digging into her knuckles with her nails.

"Kaida chan," he gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear "I was told that you were singing in your room." His fingers ran through the waves of soft blue-black hair. "What have I said about singing?" the gentle touch went to her throat, the hand closing around it. Using his thumb, the he lightly caressed a line from her chin to the hollow at the base of her neck.

Kaida swallowed hard, pushing back the tears of fear and exhaustion. She opened her mouth and whispered "No singing…" she trailed off. At the cocked eyebrow, she completed her answer "…ever."

The persecutor's smiled widened slightly, as he placed a little pressure in the middle of her throat. "Do you understand what the rule is telling you?" he inquired softly, eyes like pieces of stone.

Dropping her eyes, Kaida nodded mutely. She stifled a gasp as the hand tightened.

"What was that?"

Breaths coming short shallow, Kaida trembled as she stuttered "H-h-hai". She ground her teeth together as his grip tensed a little more. They stood there like that for moments, before he released her with a chuckle.

"Well, then I expect you to follow them." A pause during which only silence was heard. "Take her away" he glanced to his right, before returning his dead eyes to the shattered girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto:** *bounces onto screen* Hey...where's Story-teller666 chan?

**Sasuke:** *strolls in* Who cares...at least I'll only have to deal with two idiots.

**Sakura:** Haha...two idiots...you mean Naruto and...Naruto? *she pauses*

**Sasuke:** *sigh*

**Sakura:**...um...Sasuke kun...you counted wrong...there's only *counts on fingers*...one idiot here.

**Sasuke:** Kami sama give the strength to stop myself strangling her... *closes his eyes*

**Naruto:**...hey...WHAT'S THAT? *points at the sky*

**Sasuke:** It's a bird

**Sakura:** No! It's a plane

**Naruto:** No! It's Sto - ACK *is squashed by the author*

**Story-teller666:** IT'S STORY-TELLER666, HERE TO SAVE THE DAY *strikes a pose*

**Sasuke:** ...

**Sakura:** WOAH! *stares wide eyed*

**Story-teller666:** Hahahaha...bow down before my greatness! *Naruto and Sakura obeys immediately*

**Sasuke:**...no...I counted right...two idiots...plus a wierdo *sighs*

Disclaimer: *in baby voice* Naruto no mine...boohoo...*cries*

**CHAPTER 3**

The all powerful Sandaime of the Hidden Village of the Leaf crossed his arms in a pout that would have worked better on a younger looking man. The crinkles and wrinkles on his face wriggled about, before settling down around his mouth and cheery, kind eyes, as the wise face scrunched together in annoyance.

"This is insane" the old man muttered, staring at his foe. The towering pile of neatly stacked paper (surprisingly) didn't reply. Scowling at the lack of answer, Sarutobi uncrossed his arms and reluctantly picked up his pen.

"Might as well get this over with" he viciously pulled a sheet in front of him and frowned at the words. Silence ensued as the leader digested the contents of the letter. Reaching the bottom of the page, he leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

"Why would the council want a rule that banned chopstick-styled hairclips" he mused out loud. A shrug and a "meh" later, the previously examined was found in the waste paper basket.

A few minutes diligent signing later, the door to his office burst open. Sarutobi had barely glanced up from his desk before being bombarded with mission requests from his favourite genin. Barely suppressing a grin, the Hokage watched Naruto hop up and down on the spot.

"Oji san, what's with the D rank missions?" the blonde demanded, pointing an accusing finger in all directions. "Give me a B or A rank already, dattebayo. I need to become strong to be the Hokage."

Sarutobi intertwined his fingers together and propped his chin atop them. Eyebrows raised, he passed his eyes over the four nins before him, finally landing on the team leader. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly, at the same time slapping a hand over Naruto's mouth. The Sandaime smirked at the muffled yells that were still audible.

"Naruto, I've already explained to you about the mission levels and their assigning methods" the old man rubbed closed eyelids in a tired way. He heaved another sigh and opened his eyes, only to scowl at Naruto. "You're getting D rank missions and that's final".

"But what about Tazuna and Zabuza, what about that mission?" Sasuke stepped forward, indifferent to the stifled squawks from his team mate.

"That was different" Sarutobi pinned the Genin down with his gaze "we were not aware of the mission's true extent until you were already more than half way to the wave country".

Naruto wrenched Kakashi's hand away from his mouth, spun and gave the Hokage an accusatory look.

"Geez, so stingy" he growled. Huffily crossing his arms at the lack of reply, Naruto turned and stomped out of the room.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at the retreating back. He flicked his eyes back to the remaining nins.

"Yeah, yeah" Kakashi gave a lazy wave and beckoned his remaining students out.

The Hokage regarded the previously occupied spot in the room then sighed. Slumping into himself, the Sandaime groaned out loud. A helpless glance was sent out the window accompanying a loud moan.

"Why does it feel like this going to come back and bite me in the butt?"

His ANBU guards grinned behind their masks. One of them sniggered before nudging his companion.

"Bet you dinner that the Uzumaki kid is going to paint the Third's face tonight" he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Story-teller666:** *distracted* Sooo sorry for the short chappie, my loyal readers...I just lost inspiration for a while...don't worry, I'll be back...um...I sorta gotta go...I DON'T OWN NARUTO...unfortunately

**CHAPTER 4**

Kaida scrambled up and pressed herself against the metal bars. Wide frightened eyes darted around the trembling room, body flinching at the dull rumbling. The wall, to which her thin cot was pushed up against, started to shake, dust filling and choking the air.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed. Golden orbs fixated on the hole that had now appeared. The bed was now replaced by massive dark bricks, the previously empty room filled with black rocks and pale dust.

Covering her mouth and nose with a hand, Kaida cautiously approached the gap. The terror, that had been expressed previously, was now gone. Awe and wonder flitted past the exposed eyes, before they finally settled on hope. A quick nervous glance was sent towards the locked door.

"Please" she whispered, looking pleadingly at the ceiling, to the unknown deity above. "Please help me escape". Clasping her hands in a protective gesture, she stepped through the hole, on her way to freedom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Story-teller666:** So sorry that the last chapter was really short...

**Itachi:***struts in*...where's my foolish little brother?

**Story-teller666:** You lost him? Isn't that a bit careless? Tut, tut

**Itachi:** *Sharingan glare*

**Story-teller666:** AAARRGGGHH...NOT THE _LOOK_...I'M MELTING...MELTING...*collapses in a heap on the floor...pretending to be a puddle*

**Itachi:**...I think I'll look for him somewhere else...*edges away*

**Sasuke:** *walks in from the other side* Hey...what are you doing...on the floor?

**Story-teller666:** I just got Sharinganed.

**Sasuke:**...I'm not even going to ask...*nose twitches*...I...SMELL ITACHI! ARRRRRGGGHHHH *goes on a rampage*

**Story-teller666:**...and you say I have a problem...*shrugs* meh...I don't own Naruto...if I did, the updates will be out FASTER!

**CHAPTER 5**

Sasuke sighed for the umpteenth time. Onyx eyes glared at the harmless tree trunk in front of them. Slowly, the orbs traveled up, finally settling on the kunai embedded some ten meters up the wood. The Uchiha gave a grunt of annoyance (at himself?) and turned to watch Naruto, seemingly, plummet from the sky. A smirk weaved its way onto Sasuke's face as the blonde hit the ground with a crash.

"Hn" the trademarked monosyllable never failed to infuriate others, especially the Kyuubi container. And this time is no exception.

"OI" Naruto's voice boomed. The boy stood up, swaying slightly, and glared at his teammate. Cerulean eyes narrowed as the air crackled with tension. "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?"

"Gee" Sasuke raised an eyebrow "I can't guess what might have made me crack up." He paused, placing a finger to the corner of his mouth, feigning deep thought "Maybe it's the dumb blonde that's falling off the tree".

Naruto growled, a feral-like expression crossing the whisker marked face. Completely disregarding his appointed task, he launched himself at Sasuke. Not surprisingly, the target dodged the attack, and soon a fist fight ensued. Kakashi glanced up from his captivating book, gave a shrug and returned to reading. Sakura settled herself on the first branch, egging Sasuke on.

Naruto was pissed, to put it simply. The emo bastard had gotten on his last nerve; the blonde was already having trouble getting more than five meters up the tree trunk. The stupid smirk on his rival's face finally pushed him over the edge.

"Argh!" overwhelming frustration took away his ability to speak. Blinded with rage, he threw punch after punch, wanting nothing more than to smash up his adversary's pretty boy face. Sasuke smirked, occasionally breathing out grunts filled with superiority. Ducking under a wild kick at his head, the Uchiha returned the gesture. His foot connected with the orange coloured torso in a solid thump, sending the receiver flying into the bush.

"Mah, Sasuke" student turned to teacher, as Kakashi sighed. Scratching the back of his head at the challenging glare, the masked nin strolled to collect his hidden team mate and pupil.

"SASUKE" the shriek almost succeeded in knocking Kakashi off his feet, much like the time when Naruto shrieked into the earphones during their cat retrieval missions a few months previously. Scowling at the fully recovered boy, Kakashi restrained himself from smacking the blonde's head upside.

Muttering under his breath, the Copycat nin turned to head back to his tree, only to spin back around as a small sound reached his ears. The experienced ninja fingered a kunai in his pouch, ready for any surprises that might spring up.

"Neh, Kakashi sensei" Naruto whined, not liking the fact that he was being ignored "what's up with the stupid face?" The blonde opened his mouth, eager to add more to his rapidly developing one sided conversation, only to snap his trap shut and turn to shoot daggers from his sky blue eyes at his male teammate appearing through the parted bushes.

Sasuke smirked at the fuming boy. He turned his attention to his team leader, only to double take when he saw the older male finger his blade. A frown replaced the smirk, as the Uchiha found himself glancing quickly at the surroundings.

"What?" he asked, annoyed at not finding anything out of the ordinary.

"Sssh" Kakashi held up a finger. He straightened when he heard the same noise from before. "There's someone up ahead".

"Hn" the silent grunt was followed by the drawing of a blade in each hand. Naruto tossed a confused look between the other two, then copied Sasuke.

All three males moved forwards cautiously as the whimper sounded again. As they got closer to the source, heavy breathing could also be heard. Pushing apart a couple of bush branches, Kakashi took a sharp breath.

A small child, curled up in the fetal position, was encamped in the hollow between a whole bunch of bushes. A second look distinguished the sex: female. The girl's long ebony hair fell across her face, masking the features, but emphasizing the paleness of her skin. The almost white colour on her limbs were interrupted by blotches of blue and purple black at spots. Her arms and legs were thin, her bones visible on her torso.

"W-w-what the hell?" Naruto's shocked whisper jolted the Jounin from his amazement. Quickly gathering his thoughts, the Copy nin turned to his students.

"Naruto, get to the Hokage and tell him about this, and that I'm taking her to the hospital" his tone was final "and Sasuke get Sakura and meet me at the hospital". Having given the orders, Kakashi turned his attention back to the small girl.

Softly treading forwards, he crouched and gently scooped the tiny creature into his arms. Carefully positioning his burden, so that she won't be jolted, the masked nin disappeared in a little whirl of wind. A few green leaves landed gently on the emerald grass.

Kaida reluctantly opened her eyes, breaking away from the comforting warmth of peaceful unconsciousness. Blurry images invaded her sight, before clearing up to show a white room. A steady beeping sound to her right drew her attention. A mask had been placed over her nose and mouth, from which a tube protruded.

A sudden sensation of being smothered had the small girl ripping the plastic contraption off her face. Slowly, painfully sitting upright, golden eyes warily looked around for another life. Head and eyes snapped back to the door as the knob turned.

Gathering the bedsheets closer to her chest, Kaida watched as three males quietly walked into the room. One of them, dressed mostly in white, saw her conscious and hurried over to her. He smiled gently at her, placing a hand on her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" the kind question did nothing to lessen Kaida's suspicions. She instinctively flinched away from the hand that was reaching closer to her face.

"W-who are you" she whispered, fearfully glancing from one person to the next. She hugged her knees, rolling up as though to make herself small as possible.

"Hey, hey" the man near her said in a soothing voice. He pulled his hand back and placed them in front of him, in a universal gesture to show that he is unarmed. "It's alright. We won't hurt you". There was that smile again.

Kaida flickered her eyes between the three people. Instinct was telling her to run, to get away from all these people. But something held her back. Perhaps it was the kind look in the males' eyes, or the comforting atmosphere.

"W-where a-am I?" she asked, uncurling a little. She was still on her guard, but had relaxed enough to talk a little.

The white-clothed man moved back out of her personal space. He maintained the smile as he read the printouts spewed from the machine next to her bed. The question was answered by the older of the two men who remained fairly close to the door.

"Have you heard of Konoha?" the patient eyes watched her, firmly but soothingly. Under his gaze, Kaida relaxed even more.

"Um…no" she was starting to feel ignorant. The man smiled.

"That's alright" he slowly stepped forward. Seating himself in the only chair available, he continued.

"You're in Konoha. I'm the Hokage…the leader" he added, seeing the slight crease on her forehead "…Kakashi" he indicated to the final masked man behind him "found you in the forest. How did you end up there?"

Kaida felt her breath hitch at the gently enquiry. She blinked as the truth of her situation sunk in.

"I…" she began, a small smile starting to form on her lips "…I…escaped. From that old cell I called home" she finished in a soft voice. A small laugh gurgled up in her throat.

"I'm free" she laughed at the astonished males. She scrambled to the end of the bed and seized the Hokage's hands in her small pale ones.

"I'm free" she repeated, giggling in dizzy happiness.

"Free?" the old man smiled, taking sincere pleasure in her joy. He reached up and placed a warm hand amongst her ebony locks.

The sudden relief and excitement caused Kaida to jump off the bed. Landing a little unsteadily, she walked to the window and looked at the village below her. She gaped at the colour and noise she saw and heard, eyes following everything that went on below. She watched as children ran up and down the streets, chasing each other; she watched adults stop and talk to shopkeepers as they bought food and other items; she watched the carefree people live and enjoy their freedom.

"Wow" she breathed, eyes widening. She turned to the warmth that appeared at her back. The Hokage looked down to the village with her.

"Do you want to live here?" he asked, gentle eyes holding her own. Kaida felt her smile drop from the shock.

"Y-you will let m-me?" she whispered, disbelief evident in her tone.

"Of course"

The Sandiame needed no words to decipher the meaning in the look she gave him.

Kakashi glanced down at the nervous bundle by his side. The masked nin's eyes softened as they looked at the small girl stare at her surroundings in wonder.

"You've never seen any of this, have you?" he asked, slightly amused at her expression.

"Um…" she glanced shyly up at the man.

Kakashi chuckled. Then he looked up to see three figures coming in his direction: two were zooming and one walked. "Ah, that's my team coming".

"KAKASHI SENSEI"

"Yo" he raised a hand in greeting. The orange bundle of energy glared through cerulean orbs.

"Where did you disappear off to?" ah, and there was the accusatory finger. Kakashi made a mental note to threaten chopping off the finger in order to get his student to stop the…pointing. It was getting rather annoying.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke…I'd like you all to meet Kaida" he turned to the girl "Kaida, this is my team…Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke".

"A-ano" she whispered "N-n-nice to meet you"

"HI" Naruto bounced up in all his shining glory. Almost blinding the poor girl with his grin, our favourite protagonist continued with his famous words "I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE NEXT HOKAGE, DATTEBAYO"

"NARUTO" Sakura screamed, bashing the boy over the head.

"Ah, Sakura" Kakashi laughed sheepishly. "Don't kill of the remaining brain cells in his head. He'll need them".

"…true"

"HEY!" Naruto gave a indignant whine.

"Heh…so…"Kakashi trailed off. Then he glanced down at the nervous female standing slightly behind him. "Why don't you lot show her around the village" he suggested, thinking longingly of a certain orange book. "I'll pick her up when I've got the apartment sorted".

Kaida gave a small hesitant nod. "H-hai" she smiled.

Kakashi gave a one-eyed smile in return. "Ja ne" a puff of smoke obscured the four kids' view.

"SO KAIDA CHAN" Naruto beamed eagerly. "WHERE DID YOU WANT TO GO?"

Kaida watched him warily. "I-I don't know" she replied. She got even more guard as she literally saw a light bulb go on behind the blue eyes.

"ICHIRAKU'S" It was surprising that Naruto hadn't started to wag a tail and pant. The puppy eyes turned to full power.

"Um…" Kaida was caught between hysterical laughter and concern for the boy's mental health. "O-ok?"

"YEAH" a flash of orange shot past her. Before she knew it, Kaida found herself flying across the rooftops.

Sasuke watched the new girl in what normal civilians would consider indifference. But the fact that he was looking at the girl at all means something along the lines of mild interest…in Uchiha terms. Onyx eyes gazed at the silent member.

"Sasuke kun" barely suppressing an annoyed twitch at the pink haired girl's sweet tone, Sasuke closed his eyes, praying to an unknown deity for patience. This had almost become a ritual amongst the younger members of Team 7. Sakura would ask him out; he would reject her; Naruto would ask Sakura out; she would reject him. All three go home, and repeat the procedure before training, during the breaks and after training.

"Will you go out with me?"

_For the love of Kami_ Sasuke gave a mental scream of frustration, making sure to betray none of his true feelings on the exterior.

"No" he said, making it sound as flat and cold as possible.

"I'll go–" Naruto stopped have way through his offer, distracted by the smell of his all time favourite food: ramen. And without further ado, the blonde dived into the soup-noodle mix.

_I'll follow his example_, Sasuke very reluctantly decided. Shoveling a moderately large quantity into his mouth, the Uchiha survivor retreated into silence.

"So, Kaida chan" Sakura recovered quickly from the rejection. The pinkette smiled warmly at the other female. "How did you get to Konoha?"

Kaida stiffened slightly at the question. Eager to avoid reminiscing on her past, she titled up the corner of her mouth and came up with a lie.

"Just travelling…I was with my grandmother, but she passed away" Kaida lowered her eyes to the bowl in front of her, acting the part of a sad granddaughter.

"Oh" Sakura was taken back, suddenly awkward "oh…gomen" she grew quiet.

Kaida shrugged, mentally heaving a sigh. She'd made the Sandaime, Kakashi and the medic nin – Ruuyu – promise never to tell anyone about her past. It was the past, and she wanted it to remain there.

For moments, there was only the sound of slurping. Naruto was enthusiastically devouring his fourth bowl, when Kakashi appeared.

"Hey" he glanced around at his team, taking note of the silent three. "What's up?" settling down on the available stool next to Kaida, the masked nin waved at Ayame and Ichiraku.

"Kakashi san" Ayame blushed. "What can I get you?"

"Aah…I'll have a miso ramen" Kakashi cocked his head to the side.

Ayame flushed brighter red. "A-a-ah" she stammered, the power of Kakashi's charm leaving her tongue-tied. "Hai" she managed to get out, before fleeing to the back of the shop.

"You shouldn't fluster her like that" Ichiraku admonished, smiling at the nin.

Kakashi laughed sheepishly. "I can't help my charming looks" he rubbed the back of his head.

"Show off" Naruto jabbed his chopsticks in his teacher's direction, succeeding in sending noodle strands flying everywhere. "Oh…whoops" he laughed, much like his sensei before.

"_Na-ru-to"_ Sakura cracked her knuckles, threatening aura surrounding her. The blonde whimpered.

"P-please, Sakura chan. It was an accident" he yelped as a fist slammed into his face. "G-GOMEN" he screamed, running away from the rampaging pinkette.

Kakashi sighed and turned to perform his 'finish-the-ramen-in-one-second' technique. "At least it wasn't his head this time".

Sasuke grunted. "Wouldn't have made a difference. He'd still be as dumb as he is now".

Kakashi considered his student's statement. _The kid's right_, his inner self shrugged. Kakashi could start to feel his age catching up to him.

"Man, this is so troublesome" he muttered. He turned to the stunned girl beside him. "I've got you an apartment" he said "let's go check it out" flinging a few bills onto the bench, the Copy Cat nin lead his new student to her new home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Story-teller666:**...so I was all like 'No way in hell' and he was like 'You wish' and then I was all like 'In your dreams' and he was all like...

**Sasuke:** What are you doing?

**Story-teller666:** Telling you about my day...wait, were you even listening?

**Sasuke:** *breaks into a little sweat* Oh _sure..._ *eyes the killer aura rising around the author*

**Story-teller666:** Are you telling me that I spent thirty minutes relaying my day to someone who WASN'T EVEN LISTENING?

**Sasuke:**...um...is that a trick question?

**Story-teller666:** UCHIHA...YOU'RE SO DEAD! *whips out a bazuka and aims*

**Sasuke:** NO WAIT...WE CAN TALK THIS OUT...NOT NEED TO BE IRR - HOLY GOD! SOMEONE HELP! SHE ACTUALLY FIRED THE THING! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH...

**Itachi:** *struts in*...AH HA...I finally found...you...fooli - um why is his hair on fire?

**Story-teller666:** No reason *calmly polishes her weapon on hair destruction* Come and listen to my day...

**Itachi:** *eyes the bazuka*...er...n-no thanks...*panics as the author picks up the weapon* I-I'LL DO THE DISCLAIMER! STORY-TELLER666 DOESN'T OWN NARUTO! AAARRRRRGGGGHHH...PLEASE...DONT' FIRE THAT THING! NOOOOOOO!

**Story-teller666:**..._now_ the Uchiha clan is extinct...

**Tobi:** *points to himself* Hey, what am I...an orange lollipop?

**Story-teller666:**...yep...*turns to watch the Uchiha brothers run around in panic and on fire* Hehe...who says good quality entertainment is hard to find?

**Chapter 6**

Kaida stretched her aching arms over her head, hoping to relieve some of the pain in her muscles. She smiled at the yelling blonde and the silent Uchiha, who were still, after three hours of training, fighting each other.

"Are they always like that?" she questioned Sakura. The pinkette was cheering on her beloved Sasuke kun, and didn't hear the question.

"What?" she asked. Kaida repeated her question.

"Hai. Naruto's always trying to beat Sasuke kun" Sakura beamed with pride "but there's no way he'll ever do that! Sasuke kun is so much stronger" she concluded firmly. Then gasped and shrieked in excitement, as Sasuke blew out a huge fireball at Naruto.

"SO COOOL, SASUKE _KUN_"

It was then Kaida decided to put a more distance between her and the banshee-sounding girl. Golden brown eyes then sought out a familiar masked face.

"Um…ano…" she began hesitantly having climbed up the tree to her sensei. "Kakashi sensei, I've finished with the exercises you set me"

"Oh" the Copy nin pulled his nose out of the ever-present copy of Icha Icha Paradise and smiled at the girl. "Good job…now you can spar with Sakura"

"…now, or after they've finished?" the answer was accompanied with a jerk of the head towards the bawling boys.

"They're still at it?" Kakashi sighed. Kaida sweatdropped. The older male was _apparently_ so absorbed in that perverted book of his that he'd missed the fireballs and screams (of pain, encouragement and temporary triumph).

"…yeah…"

Kakashi gave another sigh. Then, with an exaggerated stretch, he flash stepped in between the two charging students.

"That's enough for today" he held Naruto down by his spiky-haired head. The blonde's arms wind milled for a few seconds, still attempting to reach the contemptuous rival.

"NO WAY! I'M SO KICKING TEME'S BUTT TODAY!"

"Naruto" Kakashi adopted a stern tone. "It's Kaida and Sakura's turn. So, either stay and watch or go home. Enough sparring for today"

A few more moments of wiggling. Then Naruto conceded temporary defeat and sighed. Almost immediately afterwards, a grin lit up his face.

"I'll stay and watch" he declared.

"Hn" Sasuke grunted softly, before turning to go. He was immediately stopped by gloved hand on his shoulder.

"You're staying to watch, too" Kakashi eye-smiled at him. Before the pre-teen could respond in any way, the man teleported the two of them to the tree branch.

"Let me go" Sasuke jerked irritably away from the restraining hand.

"You're staying, Sasuke. Otherwise, I won't be training you for a while" Kakashi threatened mildly.

Instantly the dark haired boy plonked down on the branch, disgruntled.

"Tch…whatever" he closed his eyes.

Kakashi allowed himself a small victory pose mentally before turning to his female students.

"Off you go" he waved.

Kaida tightly gripped the handle of the kunai. She gazed somewhat nervously at her sparring partner. Sakura smirked back at her. In a sudden movement, the pinkette flung her blade with deadly accuracy at her opponent and dashed forwards.

Deflecting the on coming blade with her own, Kaida tensed, on her toes. With less a meter of distance remaining, she ducked the kick aimed at her head. A roll of the left gave her a few seconds of clearance, in which she aimed her kunai at Sakura. The blade was dodged, and the two kunoichi engaged in taijutsu.

Blocking an oncoming punch to her face, Kaida gripped the wrist. Then using her feet to pivot, she pulled Sakura forwards, jerking the other girl off balance. Using the momentary opening, a punch to the abdomen was delivered. The blow sent Sakura staggering back a few steps, breath coming out in gasps.

Kaida could see that Sakura was furious now. She knew the pinkette didn't like looking weak in front of anyone, especially Sasuke. She watched as Sakura's face grew red and the emerald eyes flashed with anger. A yell escaped the girl's lips, as she charged forwards. Ducking and dodging the punches and kicks aimed mostly at her torso and face, Kaida desperately looked for an opening.

Her breaths were coming out in short sharp bursts. She could feel the strength in her muscles depleting slowly. She had to end this quickly, if she wanted to win. But the fury radiating from her opponent was quite disconcerting. Kaida swung her foot up towards Sakura's head. Then using her momentum, she jumped, and followed through with her other foot, connecting with a body part. She landed in a crouch, and whipped around quickly ready to defend herself from further attacks.

Kaida grew worried as Sakura slowly dragged herself off the ground. The girl had a sweat pouring off her forehead and strands of pink hair had glued themselves to the sides of her face. She seemed to be tenderly touching her shoulder.

"That hurt" Sakura spat, glaring menacingly. Kaida flinched.

"G-gomen" she bit her lip, nervous under the stare. "I-I thought you would see that coming".

"Aaargh" Sakura screamed, quite literally looking pissed beyond control. She groped inside her pouch, strapped to her thigh, and whipped out shurikens and more kunais. The metal rained down on Kaida, who did her best to avoid being pierced by the sharp objects.

"Ouch" she let out an involuntary yelp as one of the shurikens embedded itself in her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she wrenched the blade out. Red bloomed on her clothes, like a flower opening its red petals. She stared at the fuming kunoichi who stood in front of her, anger growing.

Instantly her mind went blank. All the emotions were gone; what ever companionship she felt towards Sakura had disappeared. A cold calm had taken over her. Kaida blankly looked back at her adversary.

"Let's see how you like that" Sakura hissed. Then she hesitated. She could feel that something was different. The look in Kaida's eyes had changed. Before they were nervous, even worried. But now…there was no emotion. Nothing flickered in those golden orbs. It was like the girl was empty. A slow foreboding crept into Sakura's mind.

"I'm ending this" emerald eyes were set in determination, as Sakura reached into her pouch for more weapons. She pulled out four kunais, each attached to an exploding tag each. Feeling slightly guilty at what she was about to do, Sakura flung the blades directly at the ground in and to the sides of Kaida. The explosion on impact blew the pinkette off her feet.

"KAIDA CHAN" Naruto's shocked yell eerily echoed in the settling dust.

Kaida felt an eerie sense of detachment. It was like she was floating above her body, watching the world from outside the shell. She watched as Sakura threw the blades and the tags. But there was no feeling of panic; there was no urge to move out of harm's way. She stood still, watching the tags fly closer and closer. Time seemed to slow down. Finally, the blades hit the ground. The explosion seemed to occur a few seconds after the kunais had touched the dirt. She could see the tags waiting, ready to detonate.

The blast threw bits of grass and rock everywhere. Through the unsettled dust, Kaida could see bits of debris spinning towards her. Still, her body refused to move. It was like there was a calming presence in her. It soothed her terror; like a guardian who would protect her from anything. And for some strange reason, she _trusted_ this feeling.

Soft yellow eyes watched jagged-edged rocks fly directly at them. Unwaveringly, they watched as the lethal things get closer and closer…then suddenly dropping to the ground as if having come in contact with a solid wall.

_What the hell?_ Kaida watched, eyes widening. She could feel her emotions returning. The shock at what she saw surfaced quickly. Hesitantly, she reached out. Her fingers neared the invisible wall that seemed to surround her. They hit the unseen barrier.

Kaida dragged her fingers to the side, tracing the path of the wall. The dust was slowly settling and she could start to see faint outlines of the trees. But her mind was still focused of the concealed partition.

Sakura painfully pushed herself up to a sitting position, then to her feet. A hand braced against the tree propped her up, as the girl watched the swirling dust. The guilt had grown from a prick to an ache. She didn't mean to blow up her teammate, but something had snapped inside her when she was kicked away. Maybe it was the fact that she was weak against someone who had only been at the shinobi business for a few months, reaching and possibly even surpassing her. It didn't seem fair in any sense that she had to drag herself through years of academy, only to see someone else reach the same level in less time, and with very little effort.

Emerald eyes were hesitant as they looked towards the direction of the males. Sakura could feel the reproach from Kakashi, and she mentally flinched at Naruto's horrified shout. _This is one of the times where I'm glad that Sasuke kun doesn't talk_.

Sakura turned her attention back to the clearing. Setting her jaw, she prepared herself to see the damage she'd done to Kaida. Fully expecting to see an unconscious, bleeding and broken body, Sakura was totally disarmed by the erect figure standing in the center of the newly formed crater.

"N-nani?" a soft stutter made it past her lips as the pinkette stumbled forward.

Kaida's eyes turned from her fingers to Sakura. She saw her own expression mirrored on the other girl's face.

"Hehe…" trying to make light of _this_ situation was going to a lot harder than she'd first thought "…weird, huh?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author:** YES! Managed to finish another chappie before exams!

**Naruto:** Story-teller666 chan, you're my hero...

**Author:** Eh? I thought the Fourth Hokage was...not that I'm complaining...

**Sasuke:** You actually believe anything that idiot says, don't you? *shakes his head*

**Author:** SHUT IT, UCHIHA! *pauses* Hang on...didn't I put your hair on fire? How come you've still got your duck-butt?

**Sasuke:** IT'S NOT A DUCK-BUTT! You just don't know style...besides, girls dig this look. *flips his black bangs*

**Author:** *cracks up* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...I c-can't believe y-y-you just said that...HAHAHAHAHAHA

**Naruto:** *inspects Sasuke's hair* You know, teme...now that you mention it, your hair does look like a duck's butt...or maybe it's a chicken's butt...hmmm

**Sasuke:** *huffs*

**Author: **AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

**Sakura:** *spots Sasuke and sprints up* SASUKE KUN! I JUST DIG YOUR HAIRSTYLE!

**Sasuke:** *smug look* See, told'ja...WAIT, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? *backs fearfully away from the scissors in Sakura's hand*

**Sakura:** Just a little bit...if I put it in this locket, we'll end up getting married *titters and leers at her crush*

**Sasuke:** *turns green and runs for his life*

**Sakura:** COME BACK SASUKE KUN *runs after him*

**Author:** Sooooo glad I'm not him...

**Naruto:** *shudder* Yup...oh, yeah...Story-teller666 chan unfortunately does not own me...uh, I mean Naruto...wow, that was weird.

**Author:** Whatever...

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Kaida fidgeted, restless from having to sit for over three quarters of an hour in the same chair. Her eyes focused mainly out the small window opposite her, only looking darting towards her teammates when one of them moved. Her guard was up, expecting an attack from any direction. In her past life, this would have been normal; she'd seen people become severely wounded or even killed, because of their dulled instincts.

"Kaida" the secretary's voice made her flinch. She stood up, startled at the sudden call.

"You can go in now" the woman directed that at Kakashi. The masked nin nodded in acknowledgement and then motioned for his team to follow him. Kaida watched as Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura got to their feet. They stood still, watching her in return. A heavy feeling of betrayal settled in her heart.

"Let's go in" she said softly, eyes shadowed by her bangs. Without waiting for a reply, she fell in line behind her sensei.

"Ah, Kakashi and Team 7" Kaida looked up at the smiling Hokage. Her stomach clenched as she gazed at the kindly face, desperately holding back the tears she could feel pricking the back of her eyes. It didn't help when the Sandaime turned to her directly.

"How are you, Kaida chan?" he asked. A heavy silence fell.

Kaida dropped her eyes back to the floor; Kakashi scratched the back of his head; Naruto and Sakura stared out the window; Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets and frowned.

"Um…" the Hokage raised an eyebrow at the responses.

"We-we have a few questions we wanted to ask" Kakashi said hesitantly. The Jounin gave Kaida a gentle push, propelling her forwards.

"What's wrong, Kaida chan?"

The girl didn't reply. Her teammates, however, babbled a response. Sakura and Naruto's words fell over each, twisting and tumbling into one big noise.

"She did things where –"

" – and it went KABOM – "

" – and she was just standing there!"

" – I was like WOW – "

"Hold it!" Sarutobi held up his hands, stemming the flow of talk. He took his pipe out of the drawers, lit it and had a few puffs before fixating an eagle-eye on the four youngsters.

"Now, one at a time". Immediately Naruto started to bounce up and down, clearly eager to be the first.

"Neh Ojii-san" the blonde boy exclaimed, cerulean eyes popped wide open. "Kaida chan has this really cool move, and it's _awesome_!" he punctuated his words with a fist-pump.

"That's not very informative, Naruto" Sarutobi could feel a slight headache coming on. Although he adored the Kyuubi container like a grandchild, there was no denying the fact the sound levels emitted when the idiot opened his mouth was like welcoming a migraine to accommodate itself in your head. _Let' s face it_, the Hokage added, _it's like an all-in-one package deal: buy Naruto and get headaches free. _

"But – but-" the ramen lover whined, not all happy by the fact that his recount wasn't acknowledged as importantly as Naruto deemed appropriate.

"Hokage sama" Sakura stepped forwards, cutting off her teammate's splutters with a resounding smack on the head. "What the idiot wanted to say was, Kaida chan put up a…barrier…it protected her from the exploding tags I threw" the pinkette sent an ashamed and apologetic glance to the mentioned girl.

"A barrier?" These kids now definitely had the village leader's attention. Clenching the pipe firmly between his teeth, Sarutobi turned examining eyes on Kaida. "What sort of barrier?"

"I-I think it was a c-ch-chakra wall" the usually curious eyes were now downcast; Kaida looked miserably at the floor, giving the onlookers the impression that she'd done something worse that defend herself from a huge blast and its accompanying debris, moments prior.

"Chakra wall" mused the Hokage. Seemingly casual, he got up from behind the towering piles of documents, noticing the smallest of flinches from Kaida. _She's scared I'll do something to her_. The Sandaime was fairly confident of his skills at interpreting children's reactions: heck, he had a grandchild, who was now well on the way to being like his idol.

"Kaida chan" Sarutobi motioned the girl closer. He smiled when he met her terrified eyes. The terror seemed to lessen in them, and the girl attempted a smile of her own; at least, she pulled of what looked like a smile, but was actually the tiniest of grimaces.

"Can you show me what you did?" he questioned her gently, banish her fears with a gentle hand on the shoulder.

"Um…m-maybe" she mumbled, visibly relaxing a little. Her face scrunched up as she focused on recreating the partition from before. A soft golden aura surrounded the petite form; chakra started to swirl around her. A slight wind swayed the leaves hanging within view of the window. Sheets of paper slid off stacks in the breeze.

Kaida opened her eyes. Disappointment welled within her as a tear escaped. It slid gently down to the corner of her mouth, before being angrily wiped away.

"I-I can't" she choked. Her eyes widened dramatically as she saw the stunned looks Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were giving her. "N-nani?"

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Naruto boomed. He danced on the spot, hopping from one foot the other. And despite her situation, Kaida let out a giggle.

"Naruto, you look like a baka" she admonished gently, getting a replying grin.

"He _is_ a baka" Sasuke muttered, clearly wanting to cover up the momentary lapse of his indifferent façade.

"Hey!"

Kakashi cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to the issue on hand. Sarutobi puffed away on his pipe as he looked at Kaida thoughtfully.

"D-does this mean I'll have to quit the shinobi force?" the girl's disappointment at this plausible outcome was evident for all to see. The Sandaime sighed and mulled over what he had just seen.

"Iie" he decided, moments of thoughtful silence later. "But you'll have to keep reporting any odd…happenings".

"Yes sir" Kakashi saluted. When it became clear that there was no more to say, he ushered his team out the door.

The Third settled himself back into his oversized chair. The minor ache from before had blown into a full on stabbing pain. Through the haze, he wondered if knocking himself out would ease the…discomfort…in someway.

"Don't even think about it" his secretary walked in, holding a pile of…you guessed it…papers. "You've _got to_ finish signing these _today_!" she moaned, outright pleading with the man.

"OK" he sighed…then flash stepped to the window. "Right after I come back!" and with a wink, the Hokage disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The woman left in the room let out a shriek of frustration, and with _extreme_ difficulty, restrained herself from throwing things out the window.

"GET THE HELL BACK HERE!"


	8. Author note story adoption

Um, hi!

I know, I know. It's so exciting to see the [New Chapter] alert in your inbox. And then you click on it…to see an author's note. Sorta makes you want to shoot the author sometimes, right.

If that's true, then I'm pretty much dead…cause I'm here to tell you guys that I'm not continuing this story anymore. It's mainly cause my ideas seem to fit my 'Six friends…' story a lot better than this one. But I am looking for people to adopt this and my other story…

So, if you are interested, please PM me and we'll work things out. Thank you!

Story-teller666 ^_^


End file.
